Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to vehicles using an electric prime mover or motor powered by one or more rechargeable power cells providing at least a portion of the motive force needed to propel the vehicle.
Description of the Related Art
Gasoline-electric hybrids and all electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common. Such vehicles may achieve a number of advantages over traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. For example, hybrid or electric vehicles may achieve higher fuel economy and have little or even zero tail pipe emissions. In particular, all electric vehicles may not only have zero tail pipe emissions, but may be associated with reducing the overall pollution in densely populated areas. For example, one or more renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric) may provide some or all of the electric power used to charge electric vehicle power cells. Also for example, generation plants that burn relatively “clean burning” fuels (e.g., natural gas) which have higher efficiency than internal combustion engines, and/or which employ pollution control or removal systems (e.g., industrial air scrubbers) which are too large, costly or expensive for use with individual vehicles may provide some or all of the electric power used to charge electric vehicle power cells.
Personal transportation vehicles such as gasoline powered scooters and/or motorbikes are ubiquitous in many places, for example in the densely populated areas found in many large cities of Asia. Such scooters and/or motorbikes tend to be relatively inexpensive to acquire, register, and maintain, particularly when compared to automobiles, cars or trucks. Cities with high numbers of combustion engine scooters and/or motorbikes also tend to suffer from high levels of air pollution leading to reduced air quality for all who live and work in the metropolitan area. When new, many combustion engine scooters and/or motorbikes provide a relatively low polluting source of personal transportation. For instance, such scooters and/or motorbikes may have higher mileage ratings than larger vehicles. Some scooters and/or motorbikes may even be equipped with basic pollution control equipment (e.g., catalytic converter). Unfortunately, factory specified emissions levels are quickly exceeded as the scooters and/or motorbikes age and either not maintained and/or as the scooters and/or motorbikes are modified by owners, for example by intentional or unintentional removal of catalytic converters. Often owners or operators of scooters and/or motorbikes lack the financial resources or the motivation to maintain their vehicles.
Air pollution and the resultant reduction in air quality have a negative effect on human health, being associated with causing or exacerbating various diseases (e.g., numerous reports tie air pollution to emphysema, asthma, pneumonia, and cystic fibrosis, as well as various cardiovascular diseases). Such diseases take large numbers of lives and severely reduce the quality of life of countless others.